GMC, Chevrolet Boost Alternative Fuel Vehicle Offers

GMC and Chevrolet will be expanding their alternative-fuel vehicle lineup with heavy-duty pickups and full-size vans in the first quarter of 2017, under a partnership with alternative-fuel powertrain solutions provider Power Solutions International, Inc (NASDAQ:PSIX).

GMC and Chevrolet will launch pickups and full-size vans powered by 6.0-liter V-8 compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-capable engines, General Motors (NYSE:GM) said in a statement.

Under the partnership deal, Chevrolet also will offer CNG and LPG versions of its new Low Cab Forward commercial truck.

The latest offer raises GM Fleet’s alternative fuel, hybrid and EVs to more than a dozen trucks, cars and crossovers.

Ed Peper, U.S. vice president of GM Fleet, said in the company statement:

“Expanding choice is the key to helping more commercial and government fleets reduce their fuel consumption, fuel costs and emissions using alternative fuels and EVs versus using traditional gasoline.”

The GM offerings announcement comes just a few weeks after the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced 55 routes that will be used as the basis for a national network of “alternative fuel” corridors across 35 states. The network is now almost 85,000 miles long, but more miles will be added “in the future to accommodate electric, hydrogen, propane and natural gas vehicles as additional fueling and charging stations are built”, the administration said.

GM’s latest alternative fuel vehicle offer could also appeal to Millennials who are flexible, diverse, and looking for things different than those in the Baby Boomer generation. The technically savvy Millennials are interested in niche markets for energy and feel better about using alternative and cleaner fuels. Those niches may include cars that use different kinds of energy, or cars capable of using several different kinds of fuel.